


A Manor of Tricks and Treats

by maleficaster



Category: Persona 5
Genre: (mostly), Background/Implied makoharu, Fluff and Humor, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Haunted House, Metaverse (Persona 5), Minor Original Character(s), Multi, Not Beta Read, Post-Persona 5: The Royal, Trick or Treating, brief mention of a corpse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:34:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27300511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maleficaster/pseuds/maleficaster
Summary: “Where’s the candy?”Akira glances up from the book to look at the treaters. There are two of them this time, the angered rakshasa and a thoth who blinks a couple of times at Akira, glancing at the book for a short moment before their eyes turn to their companion. “The story is the candy, didn’t you know?”-[Or, after their Halloween party is crashed by an unknown force, the Phantom Thieves enter the metaverse once more, but not to destroy shadows. Instead they've been asked to help the shadows with their own Halloween party.]
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Kurusu Akira & Phantom Thieves of Hearts, Phantom Thieves of Hearts & Phantom Thieves of Hearts
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	A Manor of Tricks and Treats

The Phantom Thieves Halloween party is not anything special; it only worked out due to a string of conveniences. Akira was lucky his parents had been willing to let him travel up to Tokyo for the day trip, as they had been resistant to any other occasion he attempted to travel. While he had been hoping for an opportunity to reconnect with his many contacts within Tokyo, the plans themselves hinged on that allowance. For the weeks leading up to the day it seemed hopeless, but his parents had changed their minds the morning before, leaving Akira to schedule a slew of meetings brief and long throughout his one day back. 

The party itself had been an idea insisted upon by, surprisingly, Futaba. He was told that she, alongside Sojiro and Yusuke were the ones who would decorate the café for the party. Upon his entry his eyes travel along the upper half of the walls with a string of paper pumpkins and their toothy demonic grins. The café lights are wrapped in a thin layer of paper allowing a faint glow to peek through. There are two jack o’lanterns on opposite ends of the counter allowing for additional light. The carvings adorning them made it clear who had made which one, with the one closer to the door featuring a well replicated Phantom Thief logo while the one towards the back had a normal face and a slanted tooth. 

While Akira can see Leblanc had been dressed up, of the current arrivals he could only see the two decorators dressed up, and for Yusuke it wasn’t so much as a fictional costume than it was just him wearing a Leblanc apron and one of his painting shirts, and judging by the reflection in the light from a streak of green, it likely got its title within the last hour. On the other hand, Futaba’s costume covers her whole body, and while it’s cute it’s not impressive, being an old orange blanket thrown over her head with two holes cut out for her eyes. They’re fitting costumes for the two of them, and it makes Akira smile.

“Boo!” Futaba says. He can’t see much of her expression but her narrowed eyes make it easy to guess. “Out of everyone, I expected you to dress up Akira!” Futaba pouts. “What a normie move.”

“Sorry,” Akira replies and scratches the back of his head. “I wasn’t sure if I could make it until yesterday. I didn’t have the chance to put something together.”

“You had all morning!”

“Actually, he didn’t,” a pleasant voice says from behind him. Akira steps to the side so he no longer blocks the door. Goro steps next to Akira, close enough that their shoulders brush each other. “I had asked him to accompany me for a portion of the day, my apologies.” 

“And you didn’t get costumes during your date?” Futaba huffs. “Lame.”

“We brought candy.” Goro retaliates and he lifts the plastic bag up. The bottom of the bag is rounded out, and it’s difficult to make out the shapes of the individual candies due to using two plastic bags. Goro had insisted on it, considering Akira had just decided to dump as much candy in their small basket as possible and Goro had believed its weight would not hold during their trip to Leblanc.

In seconds Futaba has snatches the bag away from them and dumps the contents on the middle booth table where the other early arrivals sit. Pressed together are Haru and Makoto, who turn away from their quiet conversation to turn towards the candy, which Futaba investigates with a critical eye. Yusuke creates a frame with his fingers and leans in different directions to evaluate the variety of different angles available to him.

“This would make a great still life,” Yusuke contemplates. He settles on a spot and pulls the sketchbook from the booth seat and pencil from his ear and starts sketching.

“Did you two really need to buy so much candy?” Makato sighs.

“Yes,” Akira says while at the exact same time Goro responds with a “no.”

Alternatively, Haru reaches forward and picks up an orange wrapper and examines the selected chocolate. “I don’t think I’ve had the chance to try any of these before.”

“Well, you’re in for a treat!” Futaba giggles. She halts in her tracks as her gaze lands on something on the table. 

“Is there a problem?” Akira steps up to stand next to Futaba.

She reaches out and plucks a long silver bar from the table. Slowly, she turns to face Akira and it would be more dramatic if he could actually see her face. Instead, the blanket falls into a crumpled mess in the inside of her elbow. Her turn is slow enough that the blanket doesn’t even lift with the force of the turn, and he can only make out the hint of a crease in her eyes. “What is this?” She waves the chocolate back and forth in her hand.

When her hand settles, Akira tries to read the label, and while he recognizes the number three, he doesn’t recognize the other word of the label.

“I believe that is a Three Musketeers,” Goro replies. “I believe the store we stopped by was selling imported American candies as a holiday special.”

Akira had not realized that fact, and hopes he didn’t grab an overabundance of the imported varieties of candies. He should have really looked at the price and not tossed out the receipt. For now, he can pray he didn’t go over budget. “What’s a Three Musketeers?” Akira asks.

“It’s a chocolate bar.” Goro says. “I’ve never had this one, though. American candy is often too sweet for me.” 

“I’ve heard this,” she waves the candy some more, “is a monstrosity.”

“It probably isn’t that bad,” Haru chirps. 

“I hate to say but I’m with Akechi on this one,” Makoto says. “Sis brought home some American candy a couple years ago, and I don’t have high hopes for it.”

“I doubt it’s as bad as hyped up as it is to be. People do buy it.” Morgana appears from nowhere, more ghost-like than Futaba, and jumps onto the table littered with candy. Yusuke bats his hand at one of Morgana’s paws, who steps away from his coveted reference with grace. 

“Well, there’s only one way to find out.” Futaba lifts the candy in front of her eyes, tilts the candy side to side in an examination that is eerily similar to something Yusuke would do. “I’m gonna regret this.”

Without another word, Futaba opens the wrapper and tucks her arm with the candy under the blanket to stuff what Akira assumes is as much of the chocolate as she can into her mouth. Behind him the bell chimes and he hears a couple of hellos drowned out by Ryuji’s extra loud holler. Futaba doesn’t greet them and instead runs to the trash can behind the counter.

“Eww!” she yells.

“If you heard it’d be awful then why did you even eat it?” Makoto asks.

‘“It was for science!” 

“What did she do?” Ryuji leans to the side to try and get a glimpse, but Futaba is just out of his view. He straightens and adjusts his headband with two triangular dog ears Akira swears he saw at the corner store on the way over. 

Sumire and Ann, however, were the most prepared of the group. Sumire’s hair was flowing around her, with a purple off the shoulder halter top, skirt a shiny emerald fabric, tight against her legs before fanning out like a mermaid tail. It reminds him of a character from a film he saw years ago in his childhood that he couldn’t quite name. 

Next to her, Ann smirked as she twirls the end of one of her signature pigtails. She’s the only thief to use heavy make-up tonight, consisting of dark colors to match her stylish black dress. What gave her costume a theme was the charcoal painted crown atop her head.

Ann tugs Sumire to her side, resting her head atop of hers. “How do we look?” 

“Lady Ann!” Morgana claws his way atop the booth. “You look stunning!”

“Aww, thanks,” she replies. Ann’s gaze shifts over to the table. “Is that chocolate?”

“It’s not Halloween without candy, right?” Akira says. 

Ann approaches the table and squeezes past Akira and into the booth next to Yusuke. He doesn’t bother with a glance, just focused on the completion of his sketch. The most he’s said in the last few minutes was telling people not to take certain pieces out of the pile. Ryuji shoves himself into the booth behind Yusuke and Ann, already reaching his hand over and asking for someone to pass him some candy. 

“I’m glad you could make it senpai,” Sumire approaches. She doesn’t scoot into the booth seat next to Ryuji, instead choosing to stand right by his proper exit, right next to Akira..

“I’m glad I could, it was close.” Akira glances around the room. Goro has taken the bar chair next to the booth, Futaba pestering him to try all the weird or gross candies she found on the table. Yusuke had finished his initial sketch and began to draw Ann in her costume. From behind them Ryuji yells to Makato and Haru in a conversation about the variety of candy that exists. Morgana has settled atop the booth, just behind the two girl’s heads. It’s a sight that in January Akira wouldn’t have believed would have been possible with all that happened, a sight that became more difficult the more they all had new things in their lives to deal with. “I’ve missed everyone, I’m glad we’re all here.”

As he says that the lights inside of Leblanc begin to flicker on and off. “Futaba, really?” Ryuji groans. 

“I know I have the place bugged but I don’t have control over the lights. Plus, do you even see my laptop?” She widely gestures around her but it looks more like she’s lifting the edges of her blanket around her giving her the further impression of a cartoon ghost. “I can’t do anything without it.”

“I’m surprised you don’t have it with you…” Makoto says, but there’s a slight shake in her voice. “Wait, then is the power going out?”

“Maybe we should call Boss,” Haru suggests. “He may be able to help.”

As she finishes speaking, the lights of Leblanc fizzle out. A gust of wind fills the room and blows the candles of the jack o’lantern out. Akira shivers from the cold, but when the haunting laughter begins to echo throughout the room goosebumps rise along his arms. Somewhere he can hear someone panicking, and Akira reaches out to find grip on something. His hand lands on the wood of the bar counter and brushes against what feels like leather. He doesn’t think too deeply about moving his hand over just a little closer, settling over the warm risen area and curling his fingers around it. He hears a faint chuckle next to him and it’s reassuring even if he knows Goro’s laughing at him for acting like a scared damsel.

“It is indeed a magnificent day!” The strange voice resounds. Akira glances around the room but the act is pointless when he cannot see. “It has been some time since we have been able to host the Feast!”

“Feast?” two voices exclaim in different tones. One sounds terrified, whereas the other Akira is sure is drooling at the idea of food. 

“Indeed, shall we head to the venue?” Another laugh echoes, but the world goes silent at the sound of a snap. An old feeling washes over Akira and while he doesn’t move he feels a kind weight settle within his heart. 

“The metaverse?” Akira whispers.

In the same moment the world brightens and the ten of them find themselves on a dimly lit pathway. Around the broken road they’re surrounded by numerous trees, branches extended out in a proud display of their decay. Further up the path Akira can make out the faint appearance of a well-lit house up on a small hill. From here he can tell the house is old, with wooden beams tilted and what he suspects might be a hole in the roof. 

He notices then that the texture enveloping his hand has changed; while he can still feel the warmth of Goro’s hand he feels a cotton layer between them, thinner than the gloves of his Joker outfit. 

“Oh? So you’re the Sherlock between the two of us now?” Goro chuckles and Akira bites down a laugh of his own when he sees the costume Goro wears. 

“Seems so,” Akira says. He can’t see much of his outfit but he can see the gray-green long sleeves covering his arms, the magnifying glass attached to his hip, and feel the weight of a hat upon his head. He lifts the hand that holds Goro’s to his mouth, still covered with his original gloves even if the rest of his attire had changed to a white and black striped top and a plain but cute beanie. “But it seems this detective’s heart has been stolen by a thief.” he drops a lingering kiss on the back of Goro’s hand.

“My, how alarming, detective. Do you plan to arrest me?”

“Ok, stop, nope,” Futaba charges between the two of them, arms outstretched as she barrels her way through and breaks the link between them. Her face is no longer hidden even if she’s still enveloped by a large wine-colored coat of gold accents and lavender eye detailing, her hair pulled into two high pigtails, long and thin compared to Ann’s. “Not flirting time.”

“I understand why, of course, but you really like to ruin the moment, don’t you?”

“Of course! I have to protect Akira’s chastity, obviously,” Futaba cackles.

“I don’t–”

“Everyone,” Makoto snaps. “Please, focus.” Akira watches as Makoto reaches to brush her hair back and is startled by the two red horns protruding from her head. Her outfit has turned more akin to Panther’s old outfit than her own, but a demon’s pointed tail swings behind her. Over the base attire is an unbuttoned black suit jacket, spikes lining the red accent around the cuffs. Tucked between the two layers is a cravat fashioned around her neck.

“Queen’s right, of course.” It feels strange, acting as Joker, a mask he has not needed for some time. But the nicknames come back to him easily, even if everyone feels off-theme. 

While their code names no longer match, Panther, Fox and Violet all look as if they had come from the same film set, with Yusuke’s costume altering from kitsune into a Prince Charming, a dark blue cape draped off one of his shoulders to the end of his hip, the rest of his attire a pristine white that looked out of place considering Yusuke’s tendency to stain his own clothes. A thick bejeweled band of gold circles his head.

Ann and Sumire have crowns of their own, each with a different theme. Ann’s golden crown had turned into silver, a ring of spikes all around her head. Her pigtails had a streak of purple running down in her locks, and her dress had transformed from something plain to a gown befitting of royalty, silver patterns embroidered onto shimmering ebony fabric. 

Sumire’s crown was unlike the other two, a small tiara set in her hair which has been styled to include side swept bangs on one side. Her gown, compared to Panther’s long and lithe attire, was wide and full, pink layered over an underskirt of white. 

“This is weird,” Ryuji says as he examines his arms and hands. His entire body has been covered in thick black furs, from his neck all the way to his feet. The tips of his fingers and toes have dark claws sticking out on the ends, each nail curved and pointed downward. The headband of ears he wore before seemed to sink into the top of his head, his blonde hair a gradient into the two long pointed ears that twitch every few seconds. 

“I like our new outfits.” Haru steps next to Makoto and rests her palm on Makoto’s shoulder. The brim of the witch hat atop her head is massive, Akira can’t see her eyes even when she’s looking his way. The point of the hat is long but eventually twirls downward and curls around the straightened fabric. Her witch dress is loose, the bottom of her skirt and her sleeves look chopped up with the fabric angled off in a variety of sizes. 

“Well I don’t,” Morgana hisses out and the second Akira looks at him Akira chokes on his own spit and coughs in the place of laughter. 

“Oh but I thought you weren’t a cat?” Goro teases.

“Well I’m not a dog either!” Morgana shakes his fist at him. Morgana’s attire hadn’t changed much at all, the white spots of his fur had turned black, his ears droopy rather than pointed and his tail more fluffy. “Who thought this would be funny?”

A cackle travels through the forest, the deep laugher reminiscent of the eerie voice from before while a thick layer of smoke creeps in through the undergrowth. The fog rises until it envelops the clearing above the thieves and stills. Akira cannot see the others but he knows they’re all on the defensive, watching for the moment the fog dissipates. A gust of air pushes against him and he lifts an arm to cover his face as specks of dirt fly past. Seconds after the fog lifts and in the center of the group is a fancy figure with a jack o’lantern head stands in the center, arms stretched out wide and a large pumpkin grin. 

“Welcome to the feast! I hope my costumes are to your liking.” The stranger turns to Morgana. “We all thought they were fitting.”

“I didn’t think I’d get an answer…” Morgana responds wide eyed. “Wait a second, I’m not a–”

“We?” Goro jumps into the conversation. “Who are you people and why are we here?”

“Great questions, but that’s no surprise coming from the forgotten Detective Prince. I am happy to answer you, of course.” The stranger bows. “I am the Lord of Halloween, and host of this magnificent event. It is rare we invite mortals into our festivities, but we were in need of some additional help. We have heard the tales of Phantom Thieves from many of our shadow friends and are asking for your assistance in some of our events. Of course you will be compensated for your time and efforts.”

“You summoned us here to work?” Ryuji protests. “Seriously?” 

“But our party…” Futaba pouts as she fiddles with the end of her sleeve. 

“You are welcome to join our festival, but we need help for an event. We cannot fulfill our promises to the denizens of our worlds without your assistance.” 

“Do we even have a choice?” Ann questions. 

“I doubt it,” Makoto replies.

“You do,” the Lord of Halloween responds. “However, I cannot say that saying no is wise.”

“I see, so the shadows will turn hostile towards us if we do not comply with your demands, is that correct?” While Goro says it with a thoughtful look, they know that his assessment is accurate.

“It could also make getting out more difficult,” Akira adds on. “We didn’t choose to come here ourselves.”

“That is a good point… did anyone see the Metanav on their phone before we came here?” Makoto glances around at everyone only to receive shrugs and shaking heads. “I think the safest thing to do is hear what we have to do, then we can decide. Is that alright with you Joker?”

“Sounds like a plan.” He nods. “What would you have us do?”

“I appreciate you taking the time to listen to our plight.” the Lord bows again. “Our first event is the Trick or Treat event, but we have far too many guests attending as those being treaters and not the treating. We will provide everything you need, as we have with your costumes. We will further provide you with gifts to pass out and rooms to rest in while you wait for the treaters. Of course, the breaks during this event won’t be long but you will all be welcomed to the main party and dinner that occurs right after the event’s conclusion.”

“Wait, we’re literally just… handing out candy?” Ryuji asks.

“Sounds like it… it’s a shame we’re giving it away though… all that chocolate…” Ann drools. 

“Even if we don’t get any of the candy ourselves, I think it’ll be fun.” Sumire responds.

“I don’t mind doing it,” Haru agrees. “It’s rather simple compared to everything else we’ve had to do. It’ll be a nice change of pace.”

“I for one think it’s rather dull.” Goro crosses his arms. “But I already know we have no other options. We may as well get this over with.”

Akira shrugs at his partner. “Are there any other objections?” At the lack of response from everyone else Akira turns again towards the party’s host. “The Phantom Thieves agree to help with your party, what do you need us to do from here?”

The jack o’lantern head flashes through a myriad of bright colors, pinks and yellows and oranges before it settles again on the warm gentle hue. “Thank you, my honored guests. I shall explain while I guide you to your positions…”

***

The group had been guided to the manor up on the hill, a short walk from where they had landed. Despite the Lord of Halloween’s talk of their hundreds of guests, the thieves were the only creatures they had seen as they were led into the candle lit mansion with its torn up carpets and tattered paintings. 

Guided by the Lord’s vibrant humming they traveled through the hallways that began to brim with character the further they traveled, massive cobwebs connecting ceiling to the wall and bats screeching behind them, armored suits shifting just enough that Makoto began to glance furtively around, eyes scanning each crevice, only forced to bring her attention forward when Haru dragged Makoto into idle conversation.

Sumire fiddles with her fingers and like Makoto she tries to keep her eyes on a specific point ahead of her, which Akira is certain is just Yusuke’s back, who is strolling ahead of her. Yusuke’s eyes are half-focused on the walk, his attention on sketching out quick details of the shapes carved into the baseboard and the pattern of the wallpaper that he imagines will be the backdrop for the intricate armor or any other ideas that may be running through Yusuke’s mind. 

Ann herself has linked her arm with Sumire, even if nothing else will grab Sumire’s attention. Instead she yells something to Ryuji, who Akira is pretty sure is creeped out but isn’t scared yet. Morgana hovers by Ann’s side, vowing he’ll protect her even though Ann reassures him she may not need it.

“Did something move?” Makoto yells and turns away from Haru, who looks startled by Makoto glancing back at the group. “Something touched my foot!”

“It was probably just your imagination,” Goro replies. “Nothing seems to be alive here.”

“Yet,” Futaba cackles from her spot a few paces behind Akira. “Who knows how shadows set up a haunted house!” 

“I thought it was a rat,” Yusuke says. “It was cute, and it was carrying something off-white in it’s paws…” he tacks on thoughtfully. 

“I’m surprised you noticed that it was carrying something,” Akira replies.

“I’m surprised he noticed it at all!” Ryuji exclaims. “Gross, rats. Are they gonna get in the food?”

“No need to worry,” the Lord of Halloween responds from the front of the group. “The rats are just on the upper floors for the aesthetic, they won’t actually go after the food.”

That seems to calm the group, except Makoto who Akira can only guess is tearfully glaring at their guide in silence. For a moment, she doesn’t say anything more, but her head jerks. “Then what… what was the rat holding?”

“Food, obviously,” Ryuji replies.

“But didn’t the Lord of Halloween just say they don’t go after food…?” Sumire’s voice is quiet, her hands twisting again.

“Uhhhhhh.” Ryuji scratches the back of his head. “Then what was it?”

“Oh ho, I take it none of you saw it then?” Akira turns to look at Futaba to see the wide grin on her face. “The poor remains of that man?”

“The… what?” Makoto squeaks.

“I didn’t see anything like that.” Yusuke taps his pencil against the sketchpad. “Though if we do pass by such a thing I would hope you would point it out. It could make for an interesting composition.”

“You’re no fun,” Futaba huffs. “Never mind. He’s right. Ugh.”

“He was right,” Haru says. Being near the front of the group she has a better view of what lies ahead in the dark hallway, and while Akira can’t make out what she sees from his angle, he can see her head angled to the side glancing at a specific spot along the wall. Next to her, Makoto squeezes her arms around Haru who brings Makoto closer with her free hand.

“Wait there really is a body now?” Futaba stands on her tiptoes, but drops down after a couple of seconds of being unable to see it. “This place is going all out…”

“It’s surprisingly realistic…” Haru murmurs to the group. 

“We hoped to create a human world experience for our guests tonight,” the Lord explains. “We know of the attractions called Haunted Houses and wanted something of all fear levels. Of course, procuring human corpses was the easy part…”

“Wait, it’s actually real?” Ryuji turns back to look at Akira. Haru immediately adverts her gaze upon hearing his words and her grip on Makoto tightens. “We’re not getting told that that’s our job now, right?” 

“Was it not supposed to be?” The Lord of Halloween hums as he comes to a stop. “Should we get rid of it?”

“Respectfully,” Makoto hisses in a squeaky voice as she leans on Haru’s shoulder who rests her head atop Makoto’s.

“We have various burial rituals for the dead,” Haru continues on for Makoto. “We usually cremate the bodies after multiple ceremonies, but I don’t know if that would be appropriate here…” Akira can hear the frown in Haru’s voice. 

From the Lord of Halloween, there is a hint of a nod. “I see. My research on human world Halloween activities must be inaccurate then. but this complicates things… we had a whole wing dedicated...”

“We are not becoming your dead people!” Morgana interjects.

“Do humans use fake bodies then?” The Lord of Halloween responds instead. 

“Something like that,” Akira replies. “If you had more time and people, you could use actors and have them jump out, like zombies.”

“How did I not think of that?” the Lord of Halloween snaps. “I want your help for next year too.”

“I think one year with real humans is enough to figure out human customs, don’t you agree?” Goro smoothly interjects in a rush. 

The Lord sighs. The grin on its face has turned into a frown, a blue glow emitting from the hallows. “Maybe so.” He turns to the group and bows to the group once more. “My apologies, my guests saw an unwelcome and inappropriate sight. We will handle this issue’s resolution with care.” The Lord waves his hands in the direction Akira imagines the corpse was, and hopes whatever he did didn’t make the situation worse. “We’re getting close to our first unfilled trick or treat room.” He looks at Makoto and Haru, “shall the two of you be that room’s guests?”

“Are the room’s themed?” Haru asks.

“Not at all, we wanted a comfortable space for reprieve, and as it’s considering a staff area it was an unnecessary use of resources.”

“Then please take us there. We could really use a moment.”

“Of course!” The expression switches again, while less maniac it still manages to be gentle. “We will send our best attempt at an apology gift to the room… would, uh, a visit from Santa Claus work? He’s a much gentler Halloween soul I hear.”

“That’s the wrong holiday…”

***

Akira is grateful that Makoto had been the first person who arrived at their destination, because while they had been explicitly told that anything real had been magically replaced with a fake substitute, Akira was also sure Makoto would have stopped walking altogether when they passed by an open room with a pile of skeletons.

It has shaken up Sumire, who has pressed herself further against Ann’s side and vigilant Morgana rests one of his paws on Ann’s shin. Ann herself glances around the hall wearily and is hunched in on herself. “It’s… really not real now, right?” her voice trembles. “It looks very real.”

“The decorations are quite sureal,” Yusuke hums. “They all fit into a well coordinated aesthetic. Despite the mishap, the team has made something incredible. Like the blood on the wall, it doesn’t really look like paint. Is it berry juice perhaps?”

At that point, Yusuke finds himself in a conversation with the Lord of Halloween about the last minute changes and putting together the party décor. Futaba, who walks near his side now rolls her eyes. “Does he even think it’s scary?” Futaba grins. “Well, at least he’s enjoying it. I think it’s cool.”

“Still very scary though,” Akira whines and hugs Goro’s arm a little tighter. He’d found an excuse to grab onto his arm after he tripped on a fake limb a couple minutes ago, having used Goro as leverage to stand back up and then not letting go. 

Goro nudges him with his elbow. “Oh, yes, it certainly is if it has the leader of the Phantom Thieves trembling.” Goro laughs. 

“You’ll protect me, won’t you darling?” Akira bats his eyes at Goro, the smile on his lips changing into a wide grin that he tries to suppress. Next to him, Akira hears a sigh and instead of saying anything this time Futaba seems to walk away. 

Goro looks away as if he is thinking about it but already knows his answer, then leans towards Akira and opens his mouth. His smile is saccharine sweet as the word “no” leaves his lips and he pulls his arm ever so gracefully out of Akira’s.

“Oh my love, you wound me,” Akira laughs as spins around and fakes a fainting motion. The dramatics are over the top, but Akira can see the smile peeking out of Goro’s well composed exterior, even if he’s probably biting the inside of his cheek to act like he isn’t enjoying this. “This pain in my heart will kill me.”

“Then perish.” 

Someone screams.

Akira and Goro both look away from each other and glance around when Akira’s eyes settle on Futaba, who has jumped onto Sumire’s back and led to her sitting on the floor with Futaba clinging to her like a koala. Ann sits next to them, disoriented from being dragged down alongside them.

“You guys okay?” Futaba asks.

“You could’ve hurt Lady Ann!” Morgana stands in front of Sumire. 

“I didn’t mean to let it get this far!” Futaba replies. “I’m sorry Sumire, I just wanted to scare you. I didn’t think you’d fall backwards after I grabbed you though…”

“I appreciate you trying to help me avoid the fall,” Sumire replies. She twists her head to look at Futaba, even if she has to crane her neck to do so. “But I’ve fallen over a lot at practice. You could’ve hurt your legs!”

“More reason to stay inside then!” Futaba laughs. “But I guess it’d be trickier to sneak up on you next time.”

“Ne–next time?”

“But of course!” Futaba says. “We’re gonna have more Phantom Thief Halloweens, right?” Futaba glances towards their host, who has stopped towards the end of the hall with Yusuke and Ryuji, who Akira guesses they only realized they hadn’t been following along as closely until they’d almost gone out of sight. It had likely been Ryuji who had to point out the group split, considering he is the only one looking back towards them. Akira just lets him know things are okay with a quiet thumb up.. “Maybe without the metaverse though…”

“That’s right!” Ann says and Sumire nods with her. “Even if it’s been… a little weird, and there was that one really scary moment earlier, it’s been a lot of fun.”

“Lady Ann…”

“Then I will have more time to scare you in the future!” Futaba giggles. “Be prepared!” 

Futaba slips off of Sumire, and while she can’t do much she still offers a hand to help the two other girls up anyway. “Thank you,” Sumire responds. Ann links herself back up with Sumire, and instead of fleeing Futaba keeps a hold of Sumire’s hand and joins their human-cat train. 

“We should probably hurry,” Goro interrupts the girl’s moment. “I believe while things have been quite casual, I do believe we must stick to the Lord of Halloween’s schedule, lest we find ourselves actually becoming decorations for dillydallying.”

Futaba frowns, but she doesn’t disagree. 

“Let’s get going, then.” Akira says. He takes Goro’s hand, who grips Akira’s hand a little tighter as the two of them take the lead to rejoin the others. 

***

Akira and Goro find themselves paired off for the third treater’s room, sometime after Ryuji and Morgana had been paired together in an attempt to have them make up for the dogfight they had minutes before they had arrived at the door. Both had been insulted to have their squabble referred to as such, Morgana insisting he wasn’t a dog which was an amusing change of pace and Ryuji insisting that he was a wolf and not a dog. 

Combined it was somehow both the perfect material for the two to start arguing more but also made Akira a little upset he couldn’t record video in the metaverse. While he hadn’t vocally expressed his disappointment about it in front of those two, Goro did. He had to tug Goro’s hand and drag him away from the scene, hiding his own amusement, while Ann took it upon herself to convince the boys to enter their assigned room. 

The trip to the third room had been quiet, though the hallways appearance had changed so much it was like being in Mementos again. The poorly lit hallways brightened up and revealed the truth behind the darkness, the sharp tools of torture, the chains of captivity, and the remains of their victims. While each item was fake, each item was crafted with an attention to detail that Akira could only contribute to individuals such as Yusuke. 

It made him feel a bit bad that Sumire and Ann would have to put up with that atmosphere for some time longer, remembering how closely they clung to one another and their voices would shake a little when glancing at the more detailed sections of the horror attraction. But he wasn’t going to deny being told he had a little bit to relax before the shadows would start trick or treating was a little nice. 

While Akira lounges on the couch, focusing on the rhythm of each heartbeat, Goro studies the items around the room. The room itself had been plain, like they had been told earlier. There was a bed in the center of the room, the couch he sits on resting against the opposite wall. Next to the door was a dresser where a large bowl with the candy that contained some candy brands he recognized and some with foregin writing. In one corner was a small bookshelf, and while the contents weren’t plentiful they were enough to draw Goro’s attention at the moment. 

Akira relaxes his shoulders and closes his eyes, keeping his mind’s attention on every slow inhale and exhale. Sometime after he feels a weight next to him on the couch that leans towards him, and in turn Akira leans towards Goro’s warmth. Akira remembers long days out during the Phantom Thief days, each moment occupied with easy-flowing words and an attentive ear, of deep concentration on providing excellence in conversation and work, and the deep-rooted tensions rubbed out only to sink back into place hours later, with few minutes of quiet before slumber. 

Today has been much like those days, without the attached dangers but filled to the brim with visits across the city visiting his old friends and contacts who insisted he stop by if he was in town for the day. He didn’t mind those moments, some of them peaceful like his stop at the Jazz Club to meet with Goro two hours before they were meant to be at Leblanc. 

But it had been a while, with Akira stuck miles away where his only friend was a cat and the rumors of his arrest were still the hottest gossip despite being ancient history. Those days had been of lazing away, text messages of varying frequency between work and chores and naps and old manifesting hobbies from the year before. He wouldn’t admit it but, as he scoots a little closer to Goro, the contrast has left him a little more tired than he expected. 

Usually, Goro may have pulled him into some discussion about a topic he finds interesting, but instead of spoken words he hears the quiet swish of the page flip, their breaths following the same melody. It’s nice that Goro can trust in the silence between them, that Akira can find stimulation and peace from the same kindred soul. Akira lets out another deep breath, and he feels a slight shift from Goro, but then the page flicks again... 

Akira jolts off of Goro at the sound of banging on the door. Akira blinks a few times and rubs his eyes. Next to him Goro sighs and slams his book shut. “I’ll get it,” he says. “It’s best you wake up some more, detective, considering what is outside the door.”

“It’s funny hearing you call me that,” Akira chuckles. “Quite the role reversal, huh?”

“Quite.” Goro sets his book next to the bowl of candy, and starts to reach for it when he thinks better of it and approaches the door instead.

“Trick or treat!” A chorus resounds as soon as Goro opens the door. Akira moves to stand by the bed so he has a better view of the scene.

“My, what lovely costumes!” Akira hears in the fakest voice he’s ever heard. Akira does find the sight of three small shadows with costumes of various expertise covering them, from what he imagines is a blanket ghost pixie to a mysteriously frosty pyro jack to an eligor who just carries a pumpkin under his arm. “Would you like to see a neat trick?” 

He sees the shadows nod, and Goro watches the shadows for a few seconds longer, and Akira imagines him slipping on the smile Akira remembers made girls weak at the knees with his detective prince persona. Then Goro grabs the handle and pushes the door closed, slamming the door in their face.

Goro turns back to Akira, who stares back at him before at once the two of them burst into laughter. Goro’s giggles are a quiet and rare occurrence, and Akira wishes he could admire the sound on its own, bottle it up so it wouldn’t fade into memory, but instead the noises blend together into one, and Akira thinks that this is just as fine too.

“Are you planning on stealing some candy from the Lord of Halloween’s guests?” Akira leans against the bedpost. 

“Well I am the thief now, it’s only fitting.” Goro sets a hand on his hip. “Certainly I hope I didn’t disappoint my predecessor.”

“Not at all… it’s given me a bit of an idea, actually…” Akira grins just as another knock on the door starts. “Allow me, honey.”

“The floor is yours.” Goro gestures towards the entryway and walks to steal Akira’s perch as he walks towards the door. 

On his way Akira nabs the book off the dresser, flicking to a random page of the book without really paying attention to what he’s holding. He adjusts the book to rest between his inner elbow and hand as he twists the door open.

“Trick or treat!” He hears.

That’s Akira’s cue to start reading: “All the kids from daycare are in dreamland, the froggy has made his last leap. Hell no you can’t go to the bathroom! You know where you can go? The fuck to sleep! The owls fly–”

“Where’s the candy?” 

Akira glances up from the book to look at the treaters. There are two of them this time, the angered rakshasa and a thoth who blinks a couple of times at Akira, glancing at the book for a short moment before they turn to their companion. “The story is the candy, didn’t you know?”

“But we’ve been getting candy this whole time!” The rakshasa waves the brimming basket around Akira’s face. “I want more!”

“Sorry, but it is trick or treat.” He winks. “Take this treat as it is, or if you’re disappointed then consider yourself tricked.”

“Why you–”

Akira feels something against his back and the door handle slips from his grasp as Goro shoves it closed again. “And that’s enough out of you,” Goro says. On the other side Akira hears something break and the beginning of some commotion that they had just escaped. 

“I had that handled.” In response, Goro quirks his eyebrows with his arms crossed. “Really.” Then Akira glances at the book, “though seriously what is this book–”

“My other options were children’s books,” Goro replies.

“Is this much better?” Akira waves the book in his hand. “Actually don’t answer that. Just don’t tell Mona. This book doesn’t exist.”

“Oh right, Mona enforces your bedtime still, doesn’t he? Quite a shame… I was thinking we could–”

“Goro!” 

“What’s with that look?” He says with a grin just a little too wide. “I was thinking it would be nice to go stargazing sometime, but I would imagine Mona wouldn’t allow such an adventure.” 

“Sure,” Akira rolls his eyes. “I’ll–”

There’s another knock at the door, and Akira glances behind him then back at Goro. 

“It seems it is my turn now, but first a clarifying question: are we coming up with the most clever trick or are we seeing who can piss off the shadow’s the most?”

“Well, we’re trying not to get murdered.” Akira replies. “Winner gets a favor of choice, of course.” 

“But what else would the reward be, hmm?” Goro taps a finger against his chin. He glances around the room and stops when his eyes land onto the bed. “Such a lame idea, but it can’t be helped. You are far too distracting…”

Goro reaches out and rips the sheet off the bed and shuffles it so that it’s over his head. It’s the worst version of all the rush-job costumes thus far, considering he didn’t even have the time to carve out two holes for his eyes before he marches towards the door and throws it open.

“Trick or treat!”

And Goro, with a sheet over his head, stands there and says nothing.

Akira doesn’t have a great view this time, with the blanket covering up most of the view he was able to get before. The blanket folds over Goro, wrinkles steady even with a living form beneath it. 

“Trick or treat?” A singular shadow asks. “This is weird.”

“Maybe we gotta go inside and take the candy?” Another shadow says. Akira can see the briefest form of this one, who stands on two legs and is a foot shorter than Goro. He sees the hint of something reach out from the figure, and that’s when a blur of white grabs onto the shadow who pulls their arm away just before Goro can get a good grasp. Akira hears a heavy thump from outside the room, and Goro’s arm slackens once again.

“I think we’re just gonna pass…” the other shadow responds, and Akira can hear them backing away. Goro stands as a statue for a moment longer before he steps back and peels the blanket off his head. He shuts the door.

“It was a little warm under here, but I say it was quite a success.” Goro tosses the sheet back onto the bed in a crinkled mess and wanders back over to the couch. “It’s your move, Joker.”

Akira nods and moves around the room with purpose. He knows he has an unknown length of time before the next group knocks, but he knows his time is short. As he paces back and forth between the bed and the couch Akira’s foot presses down further than it should, and with further pressure the floorboard creaks beneath him. 

While the floorboard could somehow be used, the amount of props are abysmal, and most of them have been used already. Akira’s eyes catch on the candy bowl, few wrappers reflect a weak sense of light back at him. 

He takes one last glance around the room, and with a plan in mind he snatches the bowl off the dresser and kneels down, trickling most of the candy out and shoving it under the bed. He sets the bowl down and strides towards Goro and tugs on his arm. “Under the bed.”

“Excuse me?”

“Are you refusing to listen to the master trickster?” Akira winks.

Goro rolls his eyes. “We’ll see who it is after this stunt.” Without another complaint Goro crouches down and does his best to worm his way into the small space. Akira tries to help push Goro in a little further but pain laces his fingers from a kick that Goro delivered, purposeful or not, and Akira decided he’d finish up with the rest of his plan.

“So dusty under here… Who cleans this place?” Goro hisses out. Akira can hear him shuffle as he twists around under the bed for a better position. “Oracle does a better job than whoever was in charge of this.” 

In response, Akira only shrugs even if Goro can’t see it. He returns to the bowl and takes it, moving it to where they pair had been standing before, quickly unwrapping different candies, littering the floor with the pale insides of each sweet and tossing the contents itself back into the bowl with a quiet barrage of thunks. 

Akira takes massive leaps towards the door, each step light. It’s almost like infiltrating a palace, if the palace was only a small room. Or maybe it was more alike to playing spies when he was a kid, where he’d peer around each corner, watching for shadows in the distance, unmoving or nonexistent, only moving onto the next stage of the master plan when the coast was clear of his imaginary foes or his parents. 

He twists the door handle and doesn’t let go as he pulls the door open just a touch, twisting the handle back into place before he steps back and drops down, rolling under the bed to join Goro, scooting on his elbows into a more comfortable position, his feet knocking against discarded candies and another foot as he does.

“I’m surprised you had the time for that,” Goro whispers, breath hot against Akira’s cheek, their shoulders bumping and legs overlapping. It would have been nice if there was room to cuddle, but Akira can’t move much without exposing himself to their future guests. 

“So am I.” Akira turns to Goro, while difficult to manage in his current position he rests an index finger against his lips. Goro nods, and there is silence again, breathing slow and faint, practiced from meditation exercises. 

The quiet is curious, each breath an echo of empty space and disturbing empty halls. The time thrums with each pulse, each beat impatient for a victim’s presence. The two wait, Akira’s statuesque fingers claw over the floorboard. It stretches out each moment into an infinity of nothingness. The imaginary ice over clock hands shatter with the soft pitfalls of footsteps and a tinkling of laughter just out of reach, each hint of a shadow another click of the second hand.

The knock on the door sounds timid, but the door opens exposing long shadows across the floorboard. He hears the questions but ignores them in favor of pressing his weight on his elbow to be rewarded with the creak of a floorboard. 

Each step gets louder, from a tap to thundering with each step against the floor until Akira sees the individual's variety of footprints and hints of long props and fabric from costumes he cannot see. One of the forms shuffles around a bit until Akira can see them in full, crouching down to inspect the opened candy wrapper. 

“My candy!” Akira growls as he grabs at the shadow who scrambles back with a startled sound and drops the wrapper in their grip. It flutters down to the floor again, gentle in comparison to the battle cry and the subsequent swish of metal in the air that Akira recognizes from days of battle and horror movies that use over the top sound effects. 

Akira and Goro roll out of the way as a broadsword embeds itself through the bed and splinters the floor beneath them. 

“It’s my candy!” Akira flips onto his feet to see a small shadow pull the sword out of the bed, pointing it in his direction. 

“Is it?” Akira taunts and reaches for his mask–

“Yes, it is.” Goro responds pointedly. The shadow turns to look at Goro who pinches the bridge of his nose. “Take it and go.”

That pacifies the shadow, who grabs the candy and bolts from the room. The one who had been startled reacts and chases after them, yelling about wanting a share of their rewards. When the voices become distant Goro turns to Akira. 

“And what was that?”

“I didn’t think he’d use a broadsword.” Akira responds. “We could’ve fought them.”

“While I usually would not object, that would jeopardize our mission here.” Goro raises a brow. “Furthermore, you were the one who said earlier we weren’t trying to get murdered. I do believe I see a contradiction here.”

“Yeah…” Akira fiddles with his hair, rubbing the strands between his fingers. “You’re right.”

“And I won,” Goro smirks. “Since I do believe we were trying to avoid handing out the candy and avoid getting attacked, both of which you failed to do.”

“You gave them the candy.”

“It was a tactical decision to avoid conflict for everyone, made on your turn, meaning the candy was your responsibility in the first place. I hope you anticipate the day which I cash in the favor you now owe.” 

Akira lets out a fond sigh. “I look forward to it.” 

***

After that, the two find a sign on the door that says the givers were out of candy. Akira spends time cleaning up the mess created by the shadow and his plot set-up to the best of his ability, but even he can’t magically repair the mattress or the floor beneath. They had an hour to themselves before the announcement about the beginning of the grand feast, their instructions to arrive at their new destination was to follow a candy trail.

Rather than small individual candies like he had expected, the two walked out to hallways tiled in taffy and lollipops used as road lights, cotton candy bushes and candy corn rocks acting as accents for their altered pathway. The colors, while fitting for Halloween, were bright and cheerful compared to the subdued hues from the missing haunted house aesthetic. 

Goro scoffs at décor, but was quick to grab Akira by the collar and drag him away just before he licks one of the lollipops. The moment Goro deems it safe to let go of his clothes, Akira skips forward to stand by Goro’s side and takes his hand in his, entwining their fingers together. Goro doesn’t say a word in protest, rather agreeing that it’d keep Akira from doing anything worse for the rest of the evening. 

As they walk Akira realizes the two of them hadn’t been far from their destination, for after traveling down the hallway for a couple minutes then down a chocolate staircase the two had found themselves in a classic ballroom, black and orange streamers twisting along the walls and wrapping around the pillars. On one side of the room was a long table filled with familiar foods and nearby Akira could see some of the others.

“Skull, none of the food here is real. ”Akira hears Makoto say as the two of them approach. 

“But the lollipop tasted real,” Ryuji replied with a chicken wing in hand. 

“You licked the lollipop too?” Goro stares, unsurprised but still somehow disappointed.

Ryuji turns to look at Goro, “woah, I didn’t think you’d actually try it. I heard you like sweets but–”

“I was not the one who tried. Tthat was Joker.” Goro turns his head away, but Akira sees the dusting of pink on his cheeks. “And I do not like sweets.”

“Sure you don’t.” Akira knocks his shoulder against Goro’s. 

“Joker.” Makoto turns to face Akira. “I had more faith in you.”

“I was curious. And all of our candy got stolen.”

“No one should have– What do you mean your candy got stolen!” 

“We gave away all our candy as was asked of us.” Goro replies. It has been a strange evening, seeing Goro be the diplomatic one between the two of them, even if he was lying by omission.

“And..?” Akira jumps upon feeling the tap on his shoulder, turning to see Haru. “That’s not everything,” she continues, “is it?”

“We gave it away in one batch…” Akira twists at his curled locks. “I may have scared the shadows a little too badly…” 

Ryuji stares at him. “Dude. How?” He looks Akira up and down. “Weren’t you dressed at the smart one tonight?”

“Thieves can be smart,” Goro contemplates. “Or at least, I used to think that. My perception changed after seeing Joker do something idiotic.”

“I can be smart,” Akira says. Goro turns to him with a heavy stare.

“Apparently not when Halloween is involved… or anything sweet, for that matter,” Goro smirks. 

“Just like you.” Akira squeezes his hand. 

Goro blinks. “I… should have seen that coming.”

“...did he accidentally prove his own case?” Haru asks.

“I think he did.” Makoto replies. 

“I am not a thief.”

“Dude, you are dressed the most thief-y of us.” Ryuji gestures at him. “You look like you're from some corny cartoon.”

“And he sounds a bit more like Morgana,” Ann adds as she approaches the group from the side. Beside her are the rest of the thieves, Morgana close to Ann’s heel and Yusuke and Sumire just behind her, with Futaba trailing along in the back, only noticeable for her bright orange hair. 

“That’s three people acting like Morgana today… maybe next year we should do Morgana themed costumes?” Joker hums.

“Absolutely not!” Morgana protests. 

“Really? You don’t want to see Ann dressed in your honor?”

That causes Morgana to pause and actually consider it. “I think it’s a fun idea!” Sumire adds in a response. “Cute kitty costumes… someone could even be a cat-dog!”

“There are different ways you could take the costume design, beyond just being a cat…” Yusuke murmurs. “How realistic or cartoonish you go with the outfit. It’d be an interesting way to start experimenting with clothing articles as art...”

“Ooooh, if you do, let me know. I’d love to help you out how I can,” Ann responds. 

“So will you model for me?”

“Clothed?”

“Well–” Yusuke hesitates. 

“Nope. Gotta give me a costume first.”

“Lady Ann… dressed like me…” Morgana swoons. 

“So you are that in love with yourself,” Futaba says.

“I am not!” 

“I must agree… I’ve heard a lot about your self-care routines…” Goro adds on.

“And that’s normal for a feline such as myself!”

“I don’t know…” Akira jumps in. “You do get a lot of fine dining…”

“It’s just sushi!”

“Aww, don’t be so hard on him.” Sumire crouches down and pats Morgana on the head. Morgana leans into her touch and while it looks very different from petting Morgana in the real world, Akira wonders if it really feels any different. “He’s done a lot for us.”

Without a word Haru joins Sumire on the floor reaching to Morgana who succumbs to the touch. Akira smiles at the sight, it’s been a while since the others were able to pamper him like this, even if he would usually protest against it. He really is a spoiled cat.

“Shadows from throughout the realms!” A familiar voice echoes along the walls of the room. They turn to the source to see a platform rising in the front most part of the ballroom, stage lights swirling around before they focus on the host of this event. “Thank you for attending our human-themed Halloween Feast! I am grateful for your attendance, and for our special human guests who helped make this event more authentic. I learned much from our honored guest, so let us do as humans do and make some noise in gratitude!” 

It’s not quite clapping, though Akira certainly hears some. He can see some of the shadows stomping on hooves or hear the clanging of metal against metal. In the distance he hears some mixture of memorizing songs, screeching, disconcerting giggling, and television static. Ryuji covers his ears to block out the cacophony and Akira fights the urge to do so himself. 

It takes time, but the sounds begin to fade away until the silence fills the room once more, and it is only then that the Lord of Halloween continues to speak: “The rest of the evening is to do as you please, except fighting each other, of course.” the Lord laughs but he is alone in doing so. “To return to your respective realms, all you must do is use the main entryway to this room,” the Lord gestures to the gigantic door, painted orange and shaped like a pumpkin, which was set against the opposite side of the room from the speech giver. Akira was positive that door had only just appeared. 

“But for now, a toast.” He continues with a snap, and a variety of cups float down to be caught with mouth or palm by their intended owners. “May I wish you all a Happy Halloween!”

The thieves all look at each other, forming up in a circle, raising their glasses of unknown liquid to touch, just in time to join in the chorus of monster and man alike: “Happy Halloween!”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> I’ll clarify here since I didn’t in the fic, but Sumire is heavily implied to be cosplaying as Ariel from the Little Mermaid and Futaba is cosplaying Robin from Fire Emblem Awakening. Also, the book that Akira reads from is real, it’s “Go the Fuck to Sleep” by Adam Mansbach, which Morgana’s English VA does a reading of and it’s fantastic. Please watch it if you haven’t. 
> 
> In general, I’m not gonna lie and say I definitely feel this piece is... not good? I like parts of it but other parts made me hesitate to post because of they bother me, but I’m trying to build courage to share my work… but I think I need to accept that eventually I’m not going to like many of the things I posted, so maybe it’s good practice to put one out I am already hesitant about for practice or something haha. Though I do think this was a good challenge, since I haven’t had to juggle 10+ characters on screen before, and I’m proud I finished it, because I think I would’ve dropped this if I wasn’t trying to improve on various writing goals lol
> 
> Anyway, I appreciate you sticking through the fic and this author’s note if you got this far! I’m on twitter with the same username if that’s of any interest to you. 
> 
> Thanks again, and Happy Halloween!


End file.
